Holding on to God

Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah.  Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."  (Gen 22:2)

We have lived in this house for almost 8 years.  When we bought it we were just going to flip it.  The house was in bad shape and we thought it was a great opportunity.  As we worked on the house and came to finishing it we felt strongly that God was calling us to sell our house and move into this house we were planning to flip.  We loved our little starter house and never had planned to move but the timing and opportunity couldn't have been more clear and we moved in.  This house has been a wonderful blessing in our life but also more costly than our first house and when we have struggled I have always thought back and wondered if we should really still be in that little house.

Recently as I have been wondering that God finally said to me, "Melanie, get over it!"  He showed me all the ways he has blessed us in this house, the ministry we have had in this house and the opportunities we have had to bless others because of this house.  He showed me how he has provided for us month after month in this house.  He is not failing us here, he is using us here.  I am a little slow.  Sometimes God has to hit me over the head like that.

But as quickly as this peace came to me I began to grip it.  OK God will always provide.  I can let my guard down.  No matter what it will work out and I can sit back and relax.  God brought to my mind the story of Abraham and Isaac. 

God promised Abraham he would build a great nation through him, through his son Isaac.  Yet one day God asks Abraham to sacrifice him.  His only son.  The one God promised to use to build a great nation.  Clearly he heard God wrong.  Yet Abraham trusted God and went to the place he told him about and was prepared to sacrifice his son.  At the last minute God stopped Abraham because, "Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son." (Gen 22:12)

I realized that although God has promised me that we are in the right house that doesn't mean he might not ask us to sacrifice it. 

As I was meditating on this today during my walk I realized that while God gives us promises to encourage and guide us he doesn't want us griping those promises.  He wants us holding tight to Him, the One who gives the promises.  That is what the story is all about.

So while I can have peace that God has put me here and is using me in this place I will hold the house with an open hand prepared to give it back to him if He asks me.  The most important thing is that I continue to rely on him to provide.  That I continue to seek his guidance and trust Him to direct our path.

I don't know what our future holds.  I don't know if we will live in this house to old age or if God will lead us down another path at some point in the near or far future.  What I do know is that I will faithfully follow wherever He leads.